The Epistemic Chineseness in Ideology: A Study of Early Post-Cultural Revolution Period (original) (raw)

The popular belief is that ideology in China has become obsolete in the post-Mao era. But like other political parties of the world, the Communist Party of China (CPC) is seen to continue experimenting and casting new features in the dilapidated ideology to make it relevant to changing situa-tions and charming the masses to its cause. The very nature of the party has changed from revolution to governing China, and so does its ideologi-cal pragmatisms. Franz Schurmann stated that ethos, status group, and modal personality are core elements of a social system. The trinity of Confucianism, the gentry, and pater families (家长) of traditional China have been replaced by ideology, leadership (party), and party cadre in New China. This chapter borrows Schurmann’s understanding that ideol-ogy expresses values and goals of socio-political actions and achievement as a working definition of ideology. This definition does not treat ideology in a straitjacket fashion but recognizes the constantly evolving nature of the ideology in China. The constant amendments to the Constitution of Party to reflect Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the post-Mao era is a testament to the evolving nature of the ideology in China rather than of becoming obsolete. In an other sense, the epistemology of ideology, whether Marxism or Mao Zedong thought in post-Mao period, needs to be seen through the prism of Chineseness rather than borrowed lenses of Western concepts.